![Map of the proposed Lake Erie Water Trail water access points via Cleveland Metroparks. The proposed water trail will include 11 access points into the lake. [Cleveland Metroparks]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ebb095a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1137x706+0+0/resize/840x522!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fimages%2Fnews%2Fnpr%2F2019%2F08%2F753751282_2037535672.jpg)
Cleveland Metroparks is in the planning stages of a Lake Erie Water Trail that will span the Cuyahoga County shoreline.
The popularity of paddle boarding and kayaking is one reason for the proposed trail, says Kelly Coffman, the Metroparks Senior Strategic Park Planner. Interest in the Cuyahoga River Water Trail is another incentive, she says.
Coffman on Lake Erie Water Trail
“We decide to work on the water trail in Cuyahoga County after being a part of the Cuyahoga River water trail effort and seeing the public interest in that initiative.”
The Cuyahoga River Water Trail is expected to be finalized in early October. The proposed Lake Erie Water Trail will incorporate existing infrastructure by using public lands and parks with 11 spots where people can enter the lake. A proposal for the project is expected to go to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources by the end of the year. Cleveland Metroparks hopes the water trail will be open by next Memorial Day.
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